This invention relates to a vehicle sunroof side shield which is formed of a mesh material, and which has a shape tailored to accommodate pivotal movement of the sunroof panel.
Vehicles are often provided with a sunroof. As known, the sunroof has a panel which pivots within an opening in the vehicle roof, from a xe2x80x9cclosedxe2x80x9d position to a xe2x80x9cventxe2x80x9d position. The sunroof panel is also capable of moving rearwardly to an xe2x80x9copenxe2x80x9d position where the roof opening is entirely open. A drive mechanism is received at each lateral extent of the sunroof to drive the panel to pivot, and to retract the panel to its xe2x80x9copenxe2x80x9d position. xe2x80x9cSunroofxe2x80x9d as used in this application includes any panel mounted in a vehicle roof opening, and moveabie relative to the opening.
This drive mechanism includes various moving parts. These moving parts are nominally accessible to occupants of the vehicle interior. There has been concern about the vehicle occupant""s being xe2x80x9cpinchedxe2x80x9d by these moving parts should they inadvertently move their hands into the area of the drive mechanism.
Thus, prior art sunroofs have sometimes included side shields. The side shields block access to the moving parts from the interior of the vehicle. The side shield of the prior art has been a heavy rubber corrugated member with a generally rectangular shape. The rectangular corrugated rubber member is attached to a pivoting bar, which moves with the panel. The pivoting bar pivots the panel between the vent and closed position.
The corrugated rubber side shields have been somewhat undesirable in that they are unsightly. Moreover, the corrugated rubber blocks airflow into the vehicle cab; defeating the main reason for the xe2x80x9cvent position.xe2x80x9d The rectangular shape of the side shield also includes unnecessary additional material.
In a disclosed embodiment of this invention, a sunroof side shield is formed from a mesh material. xe2x80x9cMeshxe2x80x9d as utilized in this application is defined as a material wherein a large percentage of its cross-sectional area is open and allows the flow of air. A xe2x80x9cmeshxe2x80x9d material is typically relatively thin, and less than 0.1 mm thick. In the most preferred mesh as utilized for this invention, the mesh is 0.3 mm thick. Moreover, a mesh allows airflow generally across its entire cross-sectional area, through openings between its fibers. That is, something more than a thick, air impermeable material having a few spaced holes. A mesh fabric available from a company called Roekona of Germany is suitable for this purpose. A copy of the material specifications will be included in the file history of this application. However, other mesh materials would be suitable. Also, while a mesh material is most preferred, other fabrics that allow air flow may be utilized within the scope of this invention. That is, either woven or non-woven fabrics that are not impervious to airflow may be utilized within the broader teachings of this invention.
In another feature of this invention, the side shield could be said to be generally triangular. The shape is not an actual triangle, however, the forward end will be of a length that is much less than the rear end. This shape better matches the upward pivoted position of the panel in the xe2x80x9cventxe2x80x9d position. Thus, in the xe2x80x9cclosedxe2x80x9d position there is less material which must be accommodated.
The various features and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the currently preferred embodiment. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows.